The Faerie Project
by Kasune
Summary: Once upon a time, we got tired of once upon a time. Now it's time to find out the truth, if you dare to open the story book. Rated for gore in later chapters.
1. Prologue

Never before had a child so beautiful graced this earth

Disclaimer: I do not own the story, technically. The characters are mine…technically. The characters and story are/is inspired by several Fairy Tales, but they are my own creations with personalities I made…so, technical fanfiction, I guess.

--

Never before had a child so beautiful graced this earth. She was adored by all that saw her, and surprised more than a few with her wit. A red velvet cap rested on the brunette's head, a gift from her grandmother, and she wore the finest clothing around. Under normal circumstances, her green eyes shone with equal beauty. Her only flaw, a cut over her left eye that still bled, unattended too as she ran. Her priority was avoiding the trees as she ran, for she was unable to find the path at the edge.

She finally stopped next to a stream, leaning against a tree. 'How could this have happened.' She thought to herself, breathing hard. Then she remembered her 'dinner,' and fell to the ground, heaving into the stream. Exhausted, she leaned back against the tree, hoping for rest. Her eye began to sting, screaming infection. She opened her good eye, about to stand up and move upstream so she could clean the cut, but froze when she saw it.

Its fur was jet black, and it had eyes as red as blood. It must have been twice her size and its jaws, dripping saliva or, maybe, blood, were so huge as to be able to swallow her whole. It was a horrible beast to behold. Then, it began to talk. "Child, you have run far. Why do you fear me so?" It crept closer, towering over her.

The girls eyes widened in fear as she realized her fate.

--

(A.N.: So…how was that for a prologue?)


	2. Chapter 1

"Oh that is such a lie!" A blonde boy sat on a stump, a smile on his face. He was wearing a pair of green shorts and a white shirt, both patched up.

"Call your old man a liar, will you?" Thwock! "I should go over there and pop you good." Thwock! A large man stood next to another stump, which now was embedded with an ax. A red head, he was smiling despite the argument, wiping the sweat off his brow. "I swear it's true." He grinned, stepping closer to the boy. "The only surviver of the town was a little girl, and we found her ripping the flesh off a knight with her mouth."

"There's no way a girl could do all that."

"What was that, Hans?" A girl with auburn hair spoke up from her seat in a nearby tree. Her clothes were as badly patched as the boy's, but with a skirt instead of shorts.

"Um...let me rephrase. No kid could possibly destroy a whole town."

"She was no ordinary child. There was a presence about her." He looked up to the sky, sighing. "I knew she could end my life in a moment. But I'm pretty sure she wasn't responsible for the town. Just the knight."

"Why?"

"She came peacefully, thankfully. If she was at fault, I doubt she would have let us take her otherwise."

"Where is she now?" The girl said, taking more of an interest in the conversation.

"I don't know, Gretel. I left the Hunters after the incident. I'm not entirely sure about it, but I believe the may have handed her over to the project."

Both of the kids were totally absorbed now. "What's the-" Hans started.

"Jorgen!" A blonde at the edge o the clearing yelled, standing in front of a shack that seemed to shudder at her voice. "Are you filling their heads with those ridiculous stories again?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, dear."

"Well, hurry up with your work. We need to rest for tomorrow."

"Yes, Matilde." The man smiled, setting another block on the stump and pulling the ax out. He smiled again as soon as she had gone inside and set the ax down. "Enough about the girl. I ever tell you of when I had to track down the Piper of Hamelin?"

--

She couldn't sleep.

No real surprise, of course. There had been practically no supper, she couldn't stop thinking about the stories from earlier, and Hans was snoring. "Damn father and his marvelous stories. It's just a shame I can never have such adventures." She cursed mentally, standing up and walking out of the room towards the kitchen in search of the water pitcher.

"We can't afford to continue living like this."

"I will not abandon my children, Matilde."

Gretel stopped as she heard the conversation through the closed door. 'No. I don't need to know...' She thought, shaking her head.

"Then we shall all die together."

Gretel sat at the door so that she could hear better.

"I see nothing wrong with dying with those I love."

"I'm not saying we leave them to die. They stand a better chance of survival out in the world than if they stay here."

"So you want to just send them out into the world?"

"With food, yes. Enough to last them a few days. So that they can get to town and start a new life."

"They should have a chance...but we shouldn't abandon them."

Not able to stand more of the conversation, Gretel quietly crept back to the other bedroom. On the verge of tears, she woke up her brother and relayed what she had heard.

* * *

"Fear not, my sister. We are not forsaken." He said, getting out of his bed. "I will think of something. Get some rest" He hugged her and led her back the bed, where she fell asleep despite all her worries as Hansel went outside.

--

The jacket, white in color, bound her arms to her side. Her brown hair had grown out, since no one had wanted to get close enough to cut it, so now it rested against the small of her back and barely concealed the scar on her eye. They had never been able to heal it, even with the best magicians at the Project's call. However, it seemed to make her more attractive than she had ever been before, if that is possible.

"Caw!" A crow conversed, landing on the window sill of the room right outside the bars. It had been here many times, it and its cousin's, but for what no one really knows.

She whistled at it, a melodious tune. Like a songbird's cry. Even that was beautiful and she would have been loved by all who would see her in the real world. But she never left that corner.

"Creepy, ain't it." An old man in a lab coat said, looking through the two way window. Beside him stood another man, who was shocked at seeing such a young girl in the facility.

"Not the first word to come to mind, sir. But yes, it can seem a little creepy." He was staring at the girl.

"Well, this is your job now. You just have to take care of her. Make sure she eats and gets her medicine."

"That hardly seems a job at all!"

"You'd be surprised, Jack." The old man said, walking off. "You'd be surprised."

--

The blond crouched outside of the hut, picking up little pebbles and putting them in a little bag he always kept with him. But Hansel couldn't see the problem as Gretel saw it. _Mom has a point...We can't all survive out here anymore._

He stood up, the bag full of white pebbles. He started to walk inside, but stopped just before opening the door. _Gretel will understand...we have to go for everyone's sake._ He thought to himself, emptying his bag before walking inside.


End file.
